Resistance to persuasive messages as a function of majority and minority source status

Journal article

Three experiments examined the extent to which attitudes following majority and minority influence are resistant to counter-persuasion. In Experiment 1, participants' attitudes were measured after being exposed to two messages which argued opposite positions (initial pro-attitudinal message and subsequent, counter-attitudinal counter-message). Attitudes following minority endorsement of the initial message were more resistant to a (second) counter-message than attitudes following majority endorsement of the initial message. Experiment 2 replicated this finding when the message direction was reversed (counter-attitudinal initial message and pro-attitudinal counter-message) and showed that the level of message elaboration mediated the amount of attitude resistance. Experiment 3 included conditions where participants received only the counter-message and showed that minority-source participants had resisted the second message (counter-message) rather than being influenced by it. These results show that minority influence induces systematic processing of its arguments which leads to attitudes which are resistant to counter-persuasion. © 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Authors: Martin, R; Hewstone, M; Martin, P

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 585-593
• Publication date: 2003-11-01
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1031(03)00037-4
• ISSN: 0022-1031
• Language: English